--- title: "John Watson Lungstrum | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-watson-lungstrum" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # John Watson Lungstrum U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas - State: Kansas - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, having assumed senior status on November 2, 2010 - Judge, District Court, D. Kansas, 1991-2010 ### Education - B.A. from Yale University in 1967, where he was active in the Yale Political Union, and a J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1970. ### Additional information - Lecturer, University of Kansas School of Law, 1993-present - Judge Lungstrum’s career reflects a blend of legal scholarship, military service, and leadership in the federal judiciary, with a long-standing presence on the Kansas bench since 1991 - Lecturer, University of Kansas School of Law, 1986-present - Chief Judge: 2001–2007 - Lecturer, University of Kansas School of Law, 1973-1982, 1986, 1989-1991, 1993 - Private practice, Lawrence, KS, 1972-1991 - Private practice, Lawrence, Kansas, 1972-1991 - Practiced law in Los Angeles (1970–1971) and then in Lawrence, Kansas (1972–1991), also serving as a lecturer at the University of Kansas School of Law - Private practice, Los Angeles, CA, 1970-1971 - Private practice, Los Angeles, California, 1970-1971 - Born in Topeka, Kansas in 1945, Lungstrum grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, graduating from Pembroke Country-Day School in 1963. - Date of birth: 1945-01-01 - received the Army Commendation Medal. - At Kansas, he held the role of editor-in-chief of the Law Review, was elected to the Order of the Coif, and participated in the ROTC, earning the Distinguished Military Graduate Award - Birth place: Topeka, KS ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384116) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384116) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384116) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1988/john-watson-lungstrum/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1988/john-watson-lungstrum/) - [Judge John Watson Lungstrum](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384116) - [Wikidata: John Watson Lungstrum](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6263250) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-watson-lungstrum", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-watson-lungstrum", "name": "John Watson Lungstrum | KnowJudges", "description": "John Watson Lungstrum, U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.